Live in the Joy of Forgiveness

In Psalm 13:5 I read, “My heart rejoices in your salvation.” (NIV)

As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame.

Sounds like a good reason for joy.

The Bible says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

Romans 8 was originally written in Greek. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.”

That’s important—because one of the biggest reasons people lose their joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy.

All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.”

So how does God want me to handle my guilt? By coming clean and confessing my wrong. Go to God and say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin.

Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross.

Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again.

That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience.

I can experience the same joy as King David had when he wrote Psalm 13: “My heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5 NIV).

In summary, As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.” One of the biggest reasons people lose joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy. All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.” God want me to handle my guilt by coming clean and confessing my wrong. Say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross. Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again. That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience. I can experience the same joy as King David when he wrote “My heart rejoices in your salvation”.

There are times when God appears to be slow on acting on my behalf. David felt this way also, but he continued to trust God no matter how long he had to wait. 

There’s Only One Way to Get Rid of Guilt

In review of Isaiah 53:5-6 it says, “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities . . . All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (NASB).

Today’s passage is Isaiah 53:5-6. In it, Isaiah the prophet gave us insight into our Messiah. He told us that he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed—and we were healed! We—every one of us—have strayed away like sheep! We, who left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us!

God was pulling aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah's day look ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all. Israel had strayed from God, they are compared to as wandering sheep. Yet even with this, God would send the Messiah to bring them (us) back.

Every one of us has a good reason to feel guilt. No one does everything right! We hurt other people. We act selfishly. Often the most unkind things we say are to the people we love the most.

Just like I can’t hide my sins from God, I can’t hide my guilt over my sins from him either. Not only that, but when I try to cover up my guilty feelings, they start to eat at me on the inside.

Only one thing works to get rid of guilt: Confess my sins, and trust in God’s forgiveness. The word confession in the Bible in Greek is homologeo. Homo means same. Logeo means to speak. So confession simply means to agree with God. “You’re right, God. I was wrong.”

Everything I’m going to do wrong—including the stuff I’m going to do tonight, tomorrow, next week, and 10 years from now—has already been paid for. That is the goodness of God.

Jesus takes all my guilt on himself. He gives me his goodness, also called righteousness. This is the most basic, fundamental truth of the Bible: My broken soul becomes whole again in him.

The Bible says in Isaiah 53:5-6, “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities . . . All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (NASB).

If I don’t feel forgiven, it means I don’t fully understand God’s goodness. When Jesus died, he covered all my sins, threw them into the deepest part of the sea, and put up a “No Fishing” sign. If I’ve confessed my sin to God, why would I drag it out when God has already forgiven and forgotten it?

Bottom Line:

Our Messiah went through physical trauma and gave his life for us. Each of us had strayed away from God like sheep to follow our own paths. Even so, God laid all of our guilt and sins on him.

What this means to me:

My Messiah suffered physically and gave his life for me. I had strayed away from God just like a sheep would wander away, to follow what I think was my path. But even when I was doing it my way, God laid all of my guilt and sins on him. I just need to put my trust in him.

In summary, He was wounded and bruised for my sins, beaten so I would have peace, lashed while I'm healed. I have strayed away, left to follow God's patch to follow my own. Yet God laid on Him my guild and sins. I can't hide my sins or my guilt from him. If I do, they start to eat at me. Only one thing works to get rid of guilt and it's to confess my sins, and trust in God's forgiveness. My confession simply means to agree with God. Jesus takes on all of my guilt and sin and gives me his goodness.

Father I thank you and Jesus for your plan and his sacrifice to make me right with you. If I have any guilt, I need to confess it so that you can make me whole by your sacrifice. This morning I pray for your goodness to continue in my life, I ask for your wisdom and guidance in my work tasks, my leadership and my interaction with others. I ask this through your Son Jesus name, amen!

Learning How to Get Past Regrets

In review of Isaiah 43:18-19 it says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands”

Bottom Line:

Don’t dwell on the past. Something new is starting to take place. He is opening new paths and opportunities.

What this means to me:

I should not dwell on what has happened in the past. Instead I should be alert and present in the moment. God is doing something brand-new. He is paving the way for better things.

Dwelling on the past is much like playing the “if only” game...  

. If only I could do it over again.

. If only I had listened sooner.

. If only I could erase the past.

. If only I could forgive myself.

I have learned that this is a foolish question, mainly because there is no real answer. Furthermore pondering it will never change what had already taken place. I will always have regrets. I have made bad choices and said foolish things. I’ve wasted time and hurt myself and others. I need to keep in mind that I am not perfect.

What I am learning is that I need to release any regrets. Here are some strategies I had tended to fall back on that simply put, do not work:

Burying It - Burying the past will never help me get past any regrets. I can try to minimize (“It wasn’t a big deal”), rationalize (“Everyone does it”), and compromise (lower my standards), but the regrets are still there, and if unresolved, they’ll keep coming back to haunt me over and over again like a creature in a horror movie.

Blame - This tactic is as old as Adam and Eve. When Adam sinned, he took it like a man: He blamed his wife! I have used blame to balance out guilt.

Beating myself up - I try to pay for my guilt unconsciously through illness, depression, setting myself up for failure, and other forms of self-punishment. The problem with beating up on myself is this: My conscience never knows when to stop! I’d rather not spend my life in self-condemnation.

So instead, here’s what I can do:

Admit my guilt - Own up to it. Don’t make excuses. “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance” (Proverbs 28:13 TLB).

Accept Christ’s forgiveness - He’s waiting to clean my slate. I can ask him to clear my conscience. Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Forgive myself, and focus on the future - “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG).

Today I will consider, if there is anything I’m holding onto where I need to admit my guilt (or part in it), accept forgiveness and refocus on the future.

Learning To Live Without Guilt

In review of Proverbs 28:13 it says, “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.”

Bottom Line:

Hiding or concealing mistakes and sins will lead one to failure. However, confession and repentance will allow you to receive mercy from God.

What this means to me:

Refusing to admit and conceal my mistakes and sins will only lead me to failure. However if I am truthful with myself, confess them and turn, God will show me his mercy.

The great thing about God is that he is always ready to give me another chance. It’s a bedrock piece of Christianity. There are plenty of times where I have been irresponsible or have screwed up. God’s Word tells me, “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT).

God doesn’t want me to live with a heavy guilt trip about all the irresponsibility in my life. Guilt destroys my confidence, damages my relationships, keeps me stuck in the past, and can even hurt my health.

The good news is that I don’t have to live with guilt. I believe that God wants me to live with a sense of promise and hope. From my experience God can even bring good out of the stupid decisions that I’ve made in the past as long as I give those faults and failures to him.

I do this by admitting to God I’ve made a mistake. It won’t surprise him. And it won’t change his perception of me. From what I’m learning, when I do, here’s what I can expect from God:

God forgives instantly. The very moment you admit your sin to God, he forgives you. God forgives freely. You don’t need to earn it, and you’ll never deserve it. God forgives completely. He wipes your sin absolutely clean.

If I allow myself to be mired in guilt and shame, I’ll likely perpetuate whatever problem I have. I’ll tell myself that I blew it, so I become bad. Since I’m bad, I believe I’ll blow it again. It’s a nasty cycle from which is difficult to escape, at least not on my own. That’s why I need a power beyond myself, I need a Savior, I need Jesus.

In summary, If I refuse to admit or conceal my sins I’ll be lead to failure, however if I am truthful with myself, confess them and then turn, God will show me his mercy.